A leading Irish environmental organisation has launched a legal challenge against the Irish Government for its failure to take action to avert the threat of climate change.

Friends of the Irish Environment (FiE) obtained permission from the High Court yesterday to proceed with its lawsuit against the Government of Ireland and Ireland’s Attorney General.

The legal challenge claims that the National Mitigation Plan does not do enough to reduce Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions and is a violation of Ireland’s Climate Act, the Irish Constitution, and human rights obligations.

The District Court of The Hague ruled in June 2015 that the Dutch government is required to reduce its emissions by at least 25 per cent by the end of 2020 compared to 1990 levels, although the Dutch government has since appealed the verdict.

Dutch lawyer Dennis van Berkel, who was the legal counsel to the Urgenda Foundation said that he expects the Irish courts to reach the same decision as in the Dutch case “given Ireland’s seriously inadequate climate policies and growing emissions”.

“Governments all over the world, including in the US, Belgium, Switzerland, and New Zealand, are being held legally accountable for their inaction on climate change, and all eyes will now be on what unfolds in Ireland”, he added.

‘Very Timely’ Move

Green Party leader Eamon Ryan TD welcomed the “very timely” case after the Government’s “attempts to water down ambitious climate action proposals” at last week’s European Council meeting.

“There is a legal and moral obligation on the Government to address climate change. They must be held accountable,” he added.

The Government now has three weeks to file its reply with the case expected to be heard in 2018.

About the Author

Niall Sargent

Niall is the Editor of The Green News. He is a multimedia journalist, with an MA in Investigative Journalism from City University, London